"I thought there would be time for one move," he said. "So that's what I did and just found a hole."

Salo assisted on Markus Naslund's goal that sent the game into overtime. Naslund, who had an assist on the game-winner, tied the score 2-2 with 26 seconds left in regulation with the Canucks' second power-play goal.

The clock showed 0:00 after Salo scored and the Blues refused to leave the ice for about two minutes. The referees, who initially left the ice without reviewing the goal, returned and concluded it crossed the line before time expired but there wasn't enough time remaining to hold a faceoff.

"I was surprised that they skated off the ice without even pointing to center and calling it a goal," St. Louis coach Mike Kitchen said. "That was really poor."

Blues backup goaltender Curtis Sanford stopped 36 shots, including 16 in the second period and five in overtime.

"The difference in the game was Sanford," Canucks assistant coach Rick Bowness said. "As far as we're concerned, it shouldn't have gotten to OT."

Sanford stopped the first 26 shots he faced in his second start of the season before Taylor Pyatt scored at the 7:30 mark of the third period to pull Vancouver within 2-1. Vancouver outshot St. Louis 39-19 overall and 6-3 in the overtime.

Both teams had two power-play goals, although the Canucks struggled for most of the game with an extra man. They failed on seven chances through the first two periods before Pyatt notched his third goal of the season with a two-man advantage. Vancouver finished with two goals in 11 power plays.

St. Louis, which had nine power-play opportunities, came into the game ranked 22nd in the league with a man advantage. The Blues had scored four goals in 32 attempts in their first six games.

Kitchen said all the power plays kept the Blues from running their game plan. He said Sanford played an "excellent" game but that he felt good about his team's chances beyond overtime.

"It would have been nice to get into a shootout and see where it would take you," Kitchen said.

Petr Cajanek scored his first goal of the season eight seconds into the Blues' first power play and Lee Stempniak added his third of the season 5:41 into the third period.

Game notes
St. Louis defenseman Jay McKee left the game in the first period with a fractured bone in his right hand and did not return. ... Blues forward Keith Tkachuk assisted on both Blues' goals and has an assist in four consecutive games. ... The Canucks lost all four games between the teams during the 2005-06 season in which the Blues finished with the league's worst record.